Dear Citizen,

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the “Friends of the Reading Canine Unit.” This dedicated group of citizens has come together for the purpose of raising funds to re-establish the police canine units in the City of Reading. Canine units are a very valuable tool for police, and we expect that these dogs and their handlers will provide a very visible presence in Reading and be a deterrent to crime. They also help keep both citizens and officers safe, as one canine unit can sometimes diffuse a situation simply by its presence.
We plan to train some of the canines to detect drugs. With their keen sense of smell, they can find stashes of drugs in houses, in alleyways, or secreted in vehicles or other hiding places.

The President of this organization is Paulette Williams, a long time city resident who cares about the community and has volunteered her time and energy for this project. She is assisted by Keith Claytor, the Vice-President, whose father was the very first canine officer in the Reading Police Department. I am also a part of this team as is Sergeant Guy Lehman, an experienced dog handler. I am grateful for their initiative and look forward to the day when these trained canine teams are patrolling the streets of Reading once again.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and I hope that you will consider supporting this worthwhile effort. Together, we can make Reading a safer place to live, work, and visit.


Sincerely,

William M. Heim
Chief of Police

 (PDF of actual letter from the Police Chief)

June 2, 2007


Dear friend and colleague:

During my first term in office, one of my top priorities in driving crime statistics down in the City of Reading currently listed as the most dangerous city in Pennsylvania in the 2006 Morgan Quitno report.  Under Reading Police Chief William Heim, we have attempted to put a comprehensive crime plan in place which addresses both part 1 crimes and other issues that impact the quality of life for our community.

While I am pleased that Chief Heim’s plan is starting to show results (the crime rate is down 35% so far in 2007), there is still more to do under very limited resources. The Reading K9 Unit was disbanded in 2005 due to management and labor issues and a concern for increased funding with budget deficits. In various crime forums and on the streets, we have heard from our citizens that they feel safer and feel that these trained dogs increase the safety of our fine police officers. Out of these public forums some fine people came forward in a desire to raise funds for the reinstitution of the K-9 corps.

It is the Friends of the Reading K9 Unit’s vision and belief that this unit can be brought back through private funding and kept in perpetuity through these funds.  They’ve taken on a large and noble task.

I ask you to meet with them and consider making a tax deductible contribution to this very worthy cause. Our hope is to have three working dogs on the streets by the end of 2007. Any assistance that you can give (and continue to provide annually) can help protect the lives of our brave men and women in uniform and lessen the need for deadly force in crisis situations.

I thank you for your consideration of this proposal and am confident that by working together, we will achieve success in the revitalization of Reading.
 
Sincerely,


Tom McMahon
Mayor

 (PDF of actual letter from the Mayor)